St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-07-14
THE ELECTION FOR JUDGE,

CHe spirlC OF the law, by such Ions
postponement, he might just as wei
have postponed the election till tn.
general election next April. Of the up
expired term of Judge Hudspeth, tb.
Governor has appropriated for his ap
polntee about nine months, and lief
only about three months for the people
Paragraph 81 of Article 100 of the
Constitution provides: "The district
judges shall be elected
Paragraph 4 of the same Article pro.
vldes that: "They shall be elected
for the term of four years. All cleo.
tons to fill vacancies occasioneu b,
death, resignation or removal, shall be
for the unerplred term, and the Cover
nor shall ill the vacancy until On eIec-
ton can be held"
Thus 1t appears that the people have,
In their Constitution, reserved to them
selves the right to choose their district
judges; that they retain the right to
elect them for the term of four years !:
and, as if to guard against just such ac-
ton of the Governor in the present
case, it is expressly provided that the
election to fill vacancies, "shall be for
! the unexpired term,' and that the
Governor shall ill the vacancy only
until an election can be held" Bnt
to make the duty of the Governor still
more explicit, if possible, the Legisla-
ture, on July 9TH, 1884, in an Act en-
titled an Act to carry out paragraph 5
OF Article 100 Of the Constitution, pro-
vided that " it shall be the duty of the
Governor, Immediately upon the ascer-
tanning Of the death, resignation or
removal of any district Judge, to order
an election to fill the vacancy
All these provisions are carefully
worded so as to prevent the shadow of
excuse or preteXt for Executive inter-
ference with the peoples right to choose
their judges.
The people have not only the right to
elect for the term OF four years, but in
case OF vacancy, an election is to be
called to fill the vacancy; and then. to
relterate the mandate, the makers of
the Constitution say: "All elections
to I'LL vacancies shall be for the |
term'-not for small frac-
ton OF the unexpired term. but for all
of it, except the time necessary to hold
the election.
Ihls conduct on the part of the Gov
ernOr, this disregard of the mandates
OF the Constitution and of an Act Of the
Legislature approved and signed bv
swells the list of his other acts
OF omission and commission, that 90 TO
show that he is not the friend of the
people and not tit to be their Governor.
About year remained of Judge
term, and the Governor has
the election at such late
late, that his appointee will fill about
line months of the vacancy, and the
peoples choice will have only about
hree months. In three days from
Judge Hudspeth's burial, the commits
ION for the Governors appointee
vas here. While he was
n hurry to make the appointment,
took till the 18th of this month to
rider the election, and then in a wav
hat practically deprives the people of
ny benefit therefrom. In the mean
ime the political atmosphere here was
I'LL Of rumors that the Governor would
ither ignore the law, or order the cleo
ion SO late that it would amount to
he has done it. This poll
cal jockeying surprised no one here.
Of course there will be apoogists to
lrnish pretexts for the Governors
purse in this matter; but, neverthe-
'ss it is a plain violation Of his duty
} execute the laws faithfully. The 8
Dople here readily find an explana-
on in the fact that the Governor and i:
is friends and admirers in this parish,
link it much easier to fill the vacancy
? appointment than they could by
ection. Such action on his pnrt fully
stlfies the estimate placed upon his :.
by the larger portion of /
q best thinking people of the State
The State debt amendment is again L
ldergoing discussion. The reader =
'ubtIess aware that this so-calie,
nendRlent cost the taxpayers of Loui- l.;
ma about a hundred and twenty +